“After a discussion with Serena,” Patrick Mouratoglou decides to become the full-time head coach of Simona Halep
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Simona Halep and Patrick Mouratoglou
Highly rated tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou has announced his appointment as the new coach for former World No.1 Simona Halep. Mouratoglou, who has been a long term coach of Serena Williams will be in action again as a full-time coach for the Romanian tennis star.
Simona Halep has fired two coaches in recent times and before the Indian Wells, the two time Grand Slam winner went to the Mouratoglou Academy to train. There reportedly she asked the Frenchman to be her coach and help her to get back to where she belongs in terms of gameplay and ranking. But Mouratoglou could not accept the offer immediately as he had to speak with his long term apprentice Serena Williams. The Frenchman is out of training for almost a year as Serena Williams has not returned to action since her leg injury in last year’s Wimbledon. There is also no clarity on the 40-year-old’s return and hence Mouratoglou has taken a step back in coaching.
The Frenchman shared in a statement how he has missed coaching in the last few months and he was itching to get back on tour. “In the last eight months, I realised how much I missed coaching. It is the passion of my life, and I still feel like I have so much to give,” Mouratoglou said.
The 51-year-old shared how he saw Halep train recent in his academy. He admitted that he had an offer from Halep but had to ask Serena Williams before taking in any call. The Frenchman also hinted how it can be a short term thing for him until the 40-year-old returns back on the court.
“Simona came to the Mouratoglou Academy before Indian Wells for a training block. I swung by at a few of her practices, watched her train. At the end of the week, she asked me if I was available to coach her. I have the highest respect for her but it was out of the question at the time. A few weeks later, I had a conversation with Serena, and the door opened for me, at least short term, to work with someone else. I will keep you updated on what’s coming next soon,” Mouratoglou added.
Simona Halep hoping to get back to her best under Patrick Mouratoglou’s guidance
It has been a very tumultuous time for the two time Grand Slam winner as she has struggled with injuries in recent years. Halep, unfortunately, had to withdraw from the Miami Open after a leg injury. The Romanian who won the French Open back in 2018 is aiming to get back to her best form under Mouratoglou‘s tutelage.
Despite putting in a lot of work the results have not gone Halep’s way recently. She got knocked out of the fourth round of the Australian Open. She followed it up with a journey to the semifinals in Dubai. But again her form dropped as she exited from Doha in her opening clash. But she made a statemate comeback in the following Indian Wells Masters as she reached the semifinals and played some sensational tennis. Halep went down fighting against the eventual champion and current world no. 1 Iga Swiatek.
So the 30-year-old will be looking to put up good performances as the start of the claycourt season with the aim of doing well at the upcoming French Open and even beyond. Halep has already shown she still has the gameplay to succeed amongst young talents. She just needs to be more consistent and also needs a little direction and after a long time, the Romanian finally has the right person for that job.
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Atrayo Bhattacharya
(193 Articles Published)